


Low Battery

by planningconquest



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Description of a Droid Dying, Droid Rights!, Sad, The Force, What happen when a droid dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 05:37:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18844717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/planningconquest/pseuds/planningconquest
Summary: R2-D2 contemplates mortality.





	Low Battery

  R2-D2 couldn't feel cold or hot. He, and he'd chosen the pronoun years ago, long before he met Anakin, couldn't feel anything.

Not the melting circuits and wires that ran through his chassis. Certainly not the loss of his two boosters and supports. Like missing limbs on a human, his arms were gone. The connection point with the ship was sparking dangerously. 

He couldn't  _feel_ the destruction of his metal body. The idea of pain was...human. It belonged to organics, the Twi'leks, and the Rodians and the Munn. Even the Genoshians, and whatever species Yoda was.  There wasn't pain, except that there was. 

The ruined ship was nothing. The failed mission to stop the Separatist plot was nothing. The loss of the other droids was nothing. He was alone on a burning ship, lost in space, and totally alone in his death.

...did droids die? 

[Transmission Failed] The ship's computer relayed to him. [Signal Lost] 

Artoo tried again. 

If the ship was destroyed it would never be found. A lack of an organic crew would mean that there would never be a rescue. Anakin and Padme would never know what happened.  He let out a mournful beep. C-3PO would never know what happened. His family would never know the truth. Did droids have families?

[Transmission Failed] The ship's computer relayed to him. [Signal Lost]

Artoo tried again.

Anakin would never have to chase after him to save him. Though Artoo was glad he wasn't here, he wanted the human to be beside him; telling him about his day and the missions. He was glad he was gone. The ship had already lost structural integrity, the hull was cracked and oxygen was leaking out, and he calculated the engine was 4 minutes and 34 seconds away from exploding.  A human would have already died. 

[Transmisison Failed] The ship's computer relayed to him. [Signal Lost] 

Artoo tried again. 

A hologram ignited from his chassis, the destruction of his chips and processor was making him glitch, melted plastic dripping over the shattered bits of metal.

 _"Luminous beings we are,"_   Yoda said, his voice indistinguishable from the noise around him. " _Not this crude matter._ "

Anakin replaced him. " _Great to see you too, old buddy."_

[Transmission Failed] The ship's computer relayed to him. [Signal Lost]

His holo-projector seized up, and the image died away. 

So he was going to die because he was alive and no law in the Republic that denied him was going to change that. He'd known for a long time, but it was real...because he was going to die. 

[Damn it to Nine Corellian Hells!] He whistled. [FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!] 

Artoo tried again, keeping up a steady stream of cursing that would have sent Anakin into a fit of breathless laughter. 

[FUCK YOU! FUCK THIS! FUCK EVERYTHING! FUCK YOU, MACE!]

[Transmission Failed] The ship's computer relayed to him. [Signal Lost]

[Fuck] Then there was nothing. The ship's klaxon alarm finally died, the last of his core melted as the engine exploded; the fire igniting every molecule of combustible gas it reached. 

 

343434

 

"This is a strange place." A voice deeper than thunder boomed over the veranda and the surrounding house and countryside. "Not what I thought you would have chosen." 

It was Varykino, where Anakin and Padme had gotten married, and Artoo was staring at the vines utterly confused. 

[What?]

"It is beautiful," the man turned away from the veranda and looked down at Artoo. "A beautiful home." 

[Who are you?] Artoo demanded. He scanned the surrounding area for the ship. For his ship. The ships that had exploded. [What am I doing here]

"You are alive," the answer came quickly, "you were right. You have been alive for a long time." 

[I died]

"Not exactly, but to the point. Artoo, you  _are_ alive. Do you remember when you first woke up? How you thought before you  _thought_?"

Artoo paused, rolling his dome around a bit. [Yes]

"It was programmed. It was...artificial, but you have been awake. You are alive, you are right."

[Get to the point] Artoo ordered. The human sighed, and ARtoo realized that he was dressed like a Jedi. 

"My son needs you."

[Who?]

"Anakin." Before another word could be spoken, Artoo extended his taser and zapped the man. He didn't jump, scream, or run away, but he did look stunned. "What?"

[You jerk! Where were you? For Shmi and Ani? I saw that shithole he grew up on! Why haven't you helped him now?]

"That is what I'm trying to do," he said placidly. Artoo wanted him to be angry, or upset. He was too calm. "Anakin needs you, Artoo. He needs you to be his friend. He  _needs_ you to keep him grounded."

[Okay] 

"Okay?" He paused. "When you go back...you'll be different. Very different." 

[Ani needs me] Artoo whistled. 

"Then you accept?" Eyes weren't supposed to look like black holes, but Artoo wasn't concerned. 

[Hurry up]

"There is a great evil conspiring against him." The Force warned. 

[I'll take care of it] 

"Very good." 

 

3$#$#$#

 

The Temple Guards had seen some truly wild things. From civilians and Jedi alike, drunken trysts and pranks, to fights. Never before had an enormous golden gate erupt from stone to allow a man to step through. Short and squat, with graying hair, wearing blue and white robes. He seemed to stumble but righted himself as soon as he caught sight of the guards. 

"Where?" He voice was as sturdy as he looked. "The hell is Anakin Skywalker?" 

**Author's Note:**

> I legit wrote this at 1 in the morning.


End file.
